The air was sliced by sharp, piercing sounds, one following another in quick succession.

Chaos, the very origin of heaven and earth. Aided by Nie Kong’s power of Chaos Divine Force, Yu Longyue could condense her own divine power more rapidly, smoothing the entire breakthrough process.

At this moment, Yu Longyue seemed to sense Nie Kong’s presence.

Her body offered no resistance to the Chaotic Divine Force erupting from the tip of Nie Kong’s finger; she absorbed it completely. Instantly, the surrounding Water Divine Power and Water Spirit Elements surged toward her even faster.

Roughly half an hour later…

The palace grew clear. All the Water Divine Power and Water Spirit Elements had been absorbed by Yu Longyue, including the cage of elemental force that had been restraining her.

“Hah!”

A gentle breeze seemed to spring from nowhere, and the void began to slowly ripple.

Threads and wisps of azure energy suddenly leaked from Yu Longyue’s body, spreading out like subtle waves synchronized with the fluctuating void, drifting slowly.

As Yu Longyue ascended, more and more of this energy streamed out.

Moments later, this small section of the void within the circular palace seemed to evolve into an azure ocean, the frequency and amplitude of its oscillations growing steadily larger. Another minute or two passed, and the hall was engulfed as if by a hurricane, colossal waves ten meters high roaring one after another, deafeningly loud.

Nie Kong, enveloped in his own Chaotic Divine Force, remained untouched by these azure surges.

Yu Longyue still stood quietly, but the garments on her body fluttered wildly, making her appear like an immortal stepping across the waves.

The intensity of the energy within her continued to surge, and Nie Kong had stopped injecting his divine power into her.

“The situation seems a bit different.”

Nie Kong felt a slight surprise in his heart. The aura radiating from Yu Longyue’s body had long surpassed the level of the First Stage Spirit Tribulation and was now pressing against the threshold of the Second Stage Spirit Tribulation, yet those energies were not coalescing into a pillar of smoke.

During the crossing of a Spirit Tribulation, the internal energy would involuntarily be drawn toward the Gate of the Boundary, which is what formed such a pillar of smoke—a phenomenon experienced by the vast majority of Ninth-Tier powerhouses achieving the Spirit God realm, just as it had been for Nie Kong and Tai Yan.

Since Yu Longyue’s energy was not condensing, it meant the drawing force of the Boundary Gate did not apply to her, and likewise, it meant the Spirit Tribulation had not descended upon her.

“No Spirit Tribulation?”

Nie Kong murmured in confusion, then suddenly recalled the ‘Grandmist Celestial Tome’ of the Grandmist Heavenly Palace. According to Du Jian’s explanation, comprehending the mysteries within the Tome could allow one to bypass the Spirit Tribulation and directly achieve the Spirit God realm. Yu Longyue’s current condition was almost exactly as Du Jian had described.

Of course, Yu Longyue could not have viewed that ‘Grandmist Celestial Tome.’

The most likely possibility was that after being imprisoned in the lowest levels of the Divine Palace, she had encountered some unexpected fortune, leading to this current state.

“Hah!”

The intensity of Yu Longyue’s energy grew at a rapid pace, quickly surpassing the Second Stage Spirit Tribulation and heading toward the threshold of the Third Stage. At this point, the azure waves churned with increasing violence, the crests reaching twenty to thirty meters high, almost brushing the apex of this palace level.

The higher the wave crests, the stronger Yu Longyue’s aura became.

But after several tens of seconds, Nie Kong suddenly noticed that the azure waves surrounding him showed signs of subsiding. A thought flashed through his mind, and Nie Kong understood the reason.

“Qing You, bring me that mass of Water Divine Power.”

As Nie Kong’s soft command rang out, a sphere of azure water shot out from the waves—it was the mass of Water Divine Power that Nie Kong had collected earlier when the Grand Divine Minister was manipulating the ‘Immortal Qin Sea Chart.’

Hiss!

Nie Kong seized the water sphere, clapping his palms together. A stream of Water Divine Power, fine as silk, tore through the void and poured ceaselessly into Yu Longyue’s body. Sure enough, the surrounding azure sea surged with higher and greater waves, and Yu Longyue’s energy intensity, after a momentary pause, began to climb again.

Time flew by swiftly. Yu Longyue’s energy finally reached the critical point of the Third Stage Spirit Tribulation, but just then, the Water Divine Power in Nie Kong’s hands was completely depleted.

“Immortal Qin Sea Chart!”

With a flash of intent, Nie Kong retrieved the artifact without hesitation.

The scroll unfurled, releasing all the residual Water Divine Power within, which cascaded down onto Yu Longyue’s head, forcefully driven into her body by Nie Kong’s Chaotic Divine Force. Since there was no Spirit Tribulation, Nie Kong had no need to worry about this enforced, 'cramming' assistance triggering her inner demons.

Yu Longyue’s aura intensity suddenly shot up by a significant margin.

Boom!

It was as if a thick, solid barrier had been shattered. Immediately, centered on Yu Longyue’s form, a massive tidal wave swept outward in all directions, violently striking the side walls of the hall. For an instant, booming sounds filled the air, causing the entire ‘Immortal Qin Divine Palace’ to tremble.

At the heart of the surge, Yu Longyue’s eyelids flickered open. Her beautiful eyes shone with brilliant light, seeming exactly like two boundless, deep, and profound oceans, intensely azure.

“Finally advanced to Spirit God!”

A glint flashed in Yu Longyue’s eyes, and all the surrounding waves retreated into her body, vanishing without a trace. She then turned to look at Nie Kong, her features radiating deep joy. “Nie Kong, I didn’t expect you to have reached the Divine Void Realm, and to have come to the Sea Clan’s Immortal Qin Divine Palace! If you hadn't helped, Aunt Yue surely would have failed at the last step.”

Seeing this, Nie Kong’s own features lit up with delight. “I only provided a little incidental help; the main credit goes to Aunt Yue’s exceptional foundation, which allowed this breakthrough to the Spirit God realm in one go. By the way, Aunt Yue, I’ve already captured that fat pig who imprisoned you here. How do you wish to deal with him?”

“Fat pig? You mean the Sea King?”

Yu Longyue started slightly, then her delicate face frosted over. “That bastard deserves to die a thousand times over; he actually wanted me to be his… consort!”

Saying this, Yu Longyue’s cheeks flushed involuntarily. Although she appeared youthful, she was several hundred years old and already had a daughter. To suffer such an insult in the Immortal Qin Divine Palace—even though the Sea King hadn't succeeded, recalling the matter still filled her with shame and indignation.

After a pause, Yu Longyue added, “But speaking of which, I must also thank that foolish pig. If he hadn't locked me up here, I wouldn't have been able to absorb the insights of these Spirit Gods.” As she spoke, Yu Longyue glanced at the figures scattered haphazardly on the floor, feeling a sense of awe.

Nie Kong surveyed the scene and frowned. “Are they all Spirit Gods?”

“Most of them were Spirit Gods who died after being tormented in captivity. However, the insights they gained during their own Spirit God advancements hadn't completely dissipated, which was a boon for me. They were all Water-attributed Spirit Gods. With their insights as a foundation, I could bypass the Third Stage Spirit Tribulation and break through to the Spirit God realm.”

Sighing softly, Yu Longyue suddenly looked at Nie Kong with a playful smile. “Nie Kong, you became a Spirit God even earlier than Aunt Yue. I remember when we first met, you had just emerged from the Netherworld; you weren't even a Cave Spirit Master then. In the blink of an eye, you’re already much stronger than Aunt Yue.”

“It was only a matter of a few days earlier,” Nie Kong smiled, wanting to ask about Yu Longyue’s experiences in the Divine Void Realm. However, realizing this was hardly the place for discussion, he quickly changed the subject. “Aunt Yue, let’s leave this wretched place first. My woman is waiting for me outside… Oh, she is also a Spirit God.”

“Your woman? Is it Hua Mei?” Yu Longyue exclaimed in surprise.

“Ahem, it’s not Hua Mei; she’s still on the Celestial Spirit Continent…” Nie Kong looked slightly embarrassed.